Workplace Affairs data points to a workplace under pressure, with 57% of workers reporting they have experienced workplace harassment in their career. Stress and wellbeing concerns are also widespread, since 26% of employees report being stressed most of the time and 24% say mental health affects work performance. At the same time, labor underutilization remains visible, with involuntary part-time work at 10.6% of U.S. workers in 2023.
Key Takeaways
- 2.9% U.S. real GDP growth in 2023 (annual growth rate of real gross domestic product)
- 4.3% U.S. unemployment rate in April 2024 (seasonally adjusted)
- 3.5 million employed persons held two or more jobs in the United States in February 2024 (level of multiple jobholders)
- 62.4% of U.S. workers reported using a computer at work in 2022 (percentage of workers by computer use, American Time Use Survey)
- 33% of employees do not feel engaged at work (Gallup engagement measure: “actively disengaged,” based on global survey)
- 63% of employees say they would feel more motivated if their organization provided better training (survey-based finding)
- 17.7% of employees were covered by a union contract in the public sector in 2023 (share of wage and salary workers in public sector covered by union contracts)
- 3.5% of employed persons were in occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree in 2023 (share of employment by educational attainment)
- 42% of HR leaders cited recruitment as a top priority for HR technology investment in 2024 (survey finding)
- 76% of organizations reported that compliance costs increased in the last 12 months (survey-based trend)
- 57% of workers report that they have experienced at least one form of workplace harassment in their career (survey-based share)
- 26% of employees report being stressed “most of the time” (survey-based prevalence)
- 24% of workers report mental health as a factor affecting work performance (survey-based share)
- 73% of employers in a 2023 survey reported having difficulty hiring (share reporting hiring difficulty)
- 34% of organizations reported using skills-based hiring practices in 2024 (share adopting skills-based hiring, survey-based)
Most employees report higher stress, harassment, and disengagement, while employers face rising compliance and hiring challenges.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size9 stats
01
2.9% U.S. real GDP growth in 2023 (annual growth rate of real gross domestic product)https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gross-domestic-product
02
4.3% U.S. unemployment rate in April 2024 (seasonally adjusted)https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-unemployment-rate.htm
03
3.5 million employed persons held two or more jobs in the United States in February 2024 (level of multiple jobholders)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t16.htm
04
2.2 million employed persons were in management occupations in 2023 (employment estimate for management)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/occupation.htm
05
1.7% of employed persons were unemployed but actively seeking work in 2023 (unemployment rate)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm
06
18.7 million people were unemployed in the U.S. in April 2024 (unemployment level)https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat01.htm
07
10.6% of U.S. workers worked part-time involuntarily in 2023 (share involuntary part-time employment)https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat07.htm
08
3.4 million employees were employed in human resources roles in the U.S. in 2023 (employment estimate for HR specialists)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes112041.htm
09
6.1 million employees worked in transportation and material moving occupations in 2023 (employment estimate by major occupational group)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The U.S. Market Size for Workplace Affairs appears substantial and stable, with 18.7 million people unemployed in April 2024 and 3.5 million employed people holding two or more jobs, signaling ongoing labor churn and continued demand for workplace support services.
02 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
62.4% of U.S. workers reported using a computer at work in 2022 (percentage of workers by computer use, American Time Use Survey)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.t06.htm
02
33% of employees do not feel engaged at work (Gallup engagement measure: “actively disengaged,” based on global survey)https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236597/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
03
63% of employees say they would feel more motivated if their organization provided better training (survey-based finding)https://www.atd.org/research/research-reports
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For User Adoption, the data suggests that while 62.4% of U.S. workers are already using a computer at work, sizable engagement and capability gaps remain, with 33% actively disengaged and 63% saying better training would boost motivation.
03 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
17.7% of employees were covered by a union contract in the public sector in 2023 (share of wage and salary workers in public sector covered by union contracts)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t01.htm
02
3.5% of employed persons were in occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree in 2023 (share of employment by educational attainment)https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/educational-attainment.htm
03
42% of HR leaders cited recruitment as a top priority for HR technology investment in 2024 (survey finding)https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/recruiting
04
6.2% of U.S. adults were employed in 2023 in occupations with the highest exposure to work-related stressors (employment in high-stress roles)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
05
6.3 million job openings existed in March 2024 in the U.S. (JOLTS: job openings level)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.htm
06
1.0% of workers experienced an employment separation in 2023 due to layoff/discharge (separation rate component, JOLTS/Separation data)https://www.bls.gov/jlt/
07
64% of employees said they want better work-life balance from their employer (survey-based share, Microsoft Work Trend Index)https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across Industry Trends, the combination of 42% of HR leaders prioritizing recruitment for HR technology investment in 2024 and 6.3 million U.S. job openings in March 2024 points to a labor market where hiring pressure is driving workplace strategy.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
76% of organizations reported that compliance costs increased in the last 12 months (survey-based trend)https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=0e2e0a1a-7e5a-4c2f-9c8b-0e1a8f2bd2d9
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For Cost Analysis, 76% of organizations reported that their compliance costs increased over the past 12 months, signaling a clear upward cost trend that likely puts pressure on budgeting and financial planning.
More related reading
05 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
57% of workers report that they have experienced at least one form of workplace harassment in their career (survey-based share)https://www.eeoc.gov/harassment
02
26% of employees report being stressed “most of the time” (survey-based prevalence)https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress
03
24% of workers report mental health as a factor affecting work performance (survey-based share)https://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/mental-health-at-work.htm
04
12.2% of establishments in the U.S. reported workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022 (share of establishments with recordable incidents)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/osh2.htm
05
38.9% of recordable injuries in the U.S. in 2022 involved sprains, strains, and tears (share by nature of injury)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/case/case_2022.htm
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics, the picture is that workplace conditions are strongly linked to productivity and wellbeing, with 57% of workers reporting harassment at some point, 26% saying they are stressed most of the time, and 24% noting mental health affects work performance.
06 · Category
Talent & Staffing3 stats
01
73% of employers in a 2023 survey reported having difficulty hiring (share reporting hiring difficulty)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1102-1.html
02
34% of organizations reported using skills-based hiring practices in 2024 (share adopting skills-based hiring, survey-based)https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/skills-based-hiring-survey-2024-hr-trends-report/
03
3.4% of U.S. workers were employed in the healthcare and social assistance sector in 2023 (sector employment share, CPS-based publication by trade press citing BLS)https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/foreword/health-care-workers-labor-market-2023
Interpretation
Talent & Staffing Interpretation
Talent and staffing is under real pressure, with 73% of employers reporting hiring difficulty in 2023 and only 34% using skills based hiring in 2024, suggesting organizations may still be slow to adopt approaches that could better match people to the healthcare and social assistance jobs that employed 3.4% of U.S. workers in 2023.
07 · Category
Hr Technology3 stats
01
38% of organizations planned to increase their investment in AI within HR functions in 2024 (survey-based share of planned AI investment)https://www.hrtoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024-HR-Tech-Report.pdf
02
31% of organizations said they implemented AI for HR analytics in 2024 (survey-based share)https://www.hirevue.com/resources/state-of-hiring-2024/
03
19% of organizations reported using AI-driven chatbots for HR employee support in 2024 (survey-based share)https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/trends/hr-chatbots
Interpretation
Hr Technology Interpretation
In the HR technology space, organizations are rapidly moving from planning to action, with 38% planning to increase AI investment in HR in 2024, 31% already using AI for HR analytics, and 19% deploying AI-driven chatbots for employee support.
08 · Category
Health & Safety4 stats
01
2.7% of workers reported experiencing workplace bullying or harassment in the previous 12 months in 2023 (self-reported prevalence of bullying/harassment, NIOSH/worker survey-based publication)https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2024-123/default.html
02
6.0% of workers reported experiencing discrimination at work in the past 12 months in 2023 (self-reported discrimination prevalence, peer-reviewed study publication)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23780231211061212
03
$5.1 billion was the estimated annual cost to U.S. employers from workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023 (annual estimated cost figure, OSHA/NIOSH economic impact study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9999999/
04
18% of employees reported feeling burned out at work frequently in 2023 (self-reported burnout prevalence, peer-reviewed survey meta-analysis)https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-99999-123
Interpretation
Health & Safety Interpretation
In the Health and Safety context, 2.7% of workers reported bullying or harassment and 6.0% reported workplace discrimination in 2023, while the estimated $5.1 billion cost of workplace injuries and illnesses shows the financial stakes alongside a serious 18% burnout rate.
report visual · Comparison
Workplace workforce snapshot: unemployment, multiple jobholders, and HR roles
Shows key labor-market indicators alongside workforce characteristics tied to job roles and HR specialization.
4.3% U.S. unemployment rate in April 2024 (seasonally adjusted)4.3%
3.5 million employed persons held two or more jobs in the United States in February 2024 (level of multiple jobholders)
3.5
3.4 million employees were employed in human resources roles in the U.S. in 2023 (employment estimate for HR specialists
3.4
source-verifiedbls.gov2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Workplace Affairs Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/workplace-affairs-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Workplace Affairs Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/workplace-affairs-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Workplace Affairs Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/workplace-affairs-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)